Metallica 40 years old: photographer reveals unpublished images of the band’s beginnings; Look

Photographer Ross Halfin, who has followed Metallica for decades on tour, showed audiences for the first time behind-the-scenes photos of the band in their early career. The band led by James Hetfield celebrates their 40th anniversary this year with two celebratory shows in San Francisco on December 17th and 19th.

Halfin’s black and white records are from when the band released their famous “The Black Album”.

It all started in 1988, when the photographer realized for the first time that there was something special about that band.

“They were on this tour called Monsters of Rock with Van Halen, Scorpions, Dokken…Metallica was way down,” he recalls.

“I started noticing — especially at Giants Stadium in New York and the LA Coliseum — that after the band played, half the audience was starting to leave. I thought, ‘Wow.’ So you start to think they mean more than you think,” declared Halfin

The heavy metal band had released three critically acclaimed albums and was just months away from releasing the fourth, “…And Justice For All.” But it was their fifth album that changed everything.

On August 12, 1991, the band released the self-titled “Metallica”. Fans today know him simply as “The Black Album” because of his cover.

It has become one of the best-selling albums of all time, selling over 30 million copies over the past 30 years. It contains some of the band’s most iconic songs, including “Enter Sandman”, “The Unforgiven”, “Sad but True” and “Nothing Else Matters”.

The album also marked a change in Metallica’s style, featuring slower paces than the thrash metal they had played before.

“Their performance on the album is much more controlled, I think, and more polished and radio-friendly,” Halfin said.

Ross Halfin, who has photographed Metallica intermittently for decades, was working closely with the band when The Black Album was recorded and released.

Their new book, “Metallica: The Black Album in Black & White,” documents this historic moment in the band’s evolution.

“By the time the Black Album was coming out, they were starting to explode and become a big band,” Halfin said. “And what the book classifies is how they really went from being a regular band to a stadium gig.”

The book features classic, previously unreleased photos of Metallica in the studio and on tour. The band performed around 300 shows during their tour between August 1991 and July 1993.

Halfin has worked with many legendary musicians during his career, including Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Paul McCartney, Aerosmith, Van Halen and The Who, and was already well established in the industry when he met Metallica in 1984.

Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich “wanted me to photograph them because their favorite group was Iron Maiden at the time and I was the band’s photographer,” recalled Halfin. “I did all the Iron Maiden album covers. So I started working with them. They really didn’t have any money,” he said.

“When I first filmed Metallica, they were really nerds and they showed up wearing AC/DC t-shirts, all these different fan t-shirts,” he said. “I think I told them they would have to stand out individually.”

Halfin said the band’s common personality was part of what made them so popular.

“Children could identify with them a lot in the sense that they resembled street children. They looked like people who play in a garage,” he said. “They certainly don’t look like that now, but back then, from The Black Album, they looked like hairy kids who just played.”

“That was Metallica’s appeal: you could do it. And the children identified with them in that sense”, he added.

When The Black Album was finished, the band was much more confident, much more confident than in the early years. They were also much more recognizable, and any anonymity they still possessed was fading, the photographer recalled.

Halfin’s new book includes introductory text from all four band members at the time of the album: drummer Ulrich, vocalist James Hetfield, guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Jason Newsted. It also has an introduction from current Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo. All photos are in black and white.

“If you look at an old photo of Elvis, the Beatles or Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, it always looks better in black and white,” Halfin said. “I think color is a great medium, but black and white as a medium stands the test of time more. When you look at something that old, it actually looks more classic. It looks more artistic, I think it stands out more.”

Looking back, Halfin recalls a simpler time in rock. There were no retinues. No extra security. Nobody needed to worry about managing social media. It was just him and Metallica, and he liked unrestricted access.

“You see pictures in the book with just Lars or James or the four of them walking onto the stage. Or maybe the tour manager,” Halfin said. “Now when do they go on stage? There are 30 people around them in an area where you don’t have permission.”

Halfin will be in town as well, taking pictures of the band and hosting a gallery show on December 18th, which will be open to the public. He will also sign books and participate in a question and answer session to talk about his experience with Metallica over the years.

“They’re one of those bands that when you see them, whether you know them or not, you’ll be amazed at their power,” Halfin said. “There are very few bands with that power they have. When they engage the audience, they really engage the audience. When you join their show, you become part of them”, he added.

“You can feel the electricity in the air with them. You really can. I started noticing this in the early 90’s, but it’s very evident now. You can feel it”, concluded the photographer.

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